In the prior art there have been a variety of handheld wet dry vacuum cleaners but few of these have been specifically designed for use with noxious waste material. Still fewer have been made readily available for pet owners who wish to clean up after their pets. Since few such cleaners have been made available, little development has been made in the area of a self-cleaning vacuum which ensures that the operator is not exposed to and does not have to handle any waste materials.
In the development of portable wet dry vacuums, various attempts have been made to develop a system integrated with the wet dry vacuum for the application of water, cleaning solution or other fluid to the area to be cleaned. While various previous attempts have been made, none of these references teach a system which can stabilize or reduce fluctuation in the supply of the fluid to ensure consistent application of the cleaning solution, especially when the level of water or cleaning solution is low or when there is excessive movement of the container holding such water or cleaning solution.
In the prior art there have been a number of solutions to try to help pet owners clean up waste material. Examples include devices such as modified scoops or gloves for waste material along with a form of disposal bag (or a scoop with an integrated disposal bag). However, none of these devices provide a convenient method for a pet owner to clean up the pet's waste without being exposed to the waste or possibly coming into contact with the waste. Further, these devices expose the pet owner to the smell of the waste which can be, at times, overwhelming. A further disadvantage of such devices is that they are not especially helpful at removing all of the pet waste. This can pose problems if the pet waste is located on public property or someone's private property or if in an area where children play.